


Rain

by MelodicAscent



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cute lil' AU, F/M, It starts platonic, but you never know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-24 23:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13822005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodicAscent/pseuds/MelodicAscent
Summary: Bullies. Everybody hates them. Many people spent years being tormented by them. And poor little Katie has been bullied since Kindergarten. She's smart, living up to her family name, even surpassing it, but at what cost? She's so small, everybody sees her as a target. She desperately wishes she had a friend to help her through it. Fifth grade rolls around, the last year of elementary school. Lotor is at it again, making her feel worthless. Then some unexpected help finds her.





	1. Bullies

**Author's Note:**

> So, they're all kids. I kinda like 5th grade, because it's the last year of elementary school, so everybody's in the same class, but that's also when the hormones start kicking in because puberty is right around the corner. Yes, it's AU. Sometimes that's one of the best ways to get creative.

Why did they have to be so mean to her? What did she do to deserve the torment her peers gave her?

Ever since she started grade school, she had excelled over the other students. Katie was a smart girl, as was to be expected. She was the daughter of Sam Holt, and the younger sister of Matt Holt. She did more than live up to those expectations. But of course, there were consequences.

She had always been small in stature. The other kids, even the boys, were bigger than her, and she was always seen as a target.

Just now, a boy named Lotor had followed her part of the way home after school while it was raining. She’d tried to lose him, but he was too fast for her to get away. When they were away from a main road, he pushed her over in the mud and opened her backpack, throwing her papers everywhere.

“No!” she yelled, trying to take the bag back. “I need to do that homework by tomorrow!”

Lotor snickered. “Oh, you mean this homework?” he said, pulling out a little booklet with doodles all over it. Her eyes widened, and he smiled. “Wait a minute, this isn’t homework, is it?” he said, letting go of the backpack, causing Katie to fall in the mud again.

He flipped open to the first page. “Lets see. Dear diary, today I started school…” he skipped ahead a few pages, flipping through until he got to a more recent one. “Dear diary. Fifth grade has sucked. It’s not because of the teachers, but because of the other kids. They treat me like I’m less than dirt, and I’m starting to feel like it too.”

“Stop!” Katie yelled, trying to take the diary back. Lotor just held it high above his head, far out of her reach, before pushing her back again.

“Mud is definitely grosser than dirt, so yeah, I’d say you’re less than dirt.” He said before he kept reading. His eyes widened and he smiled.

“There’s this one boy who seems nice, though. He isn’t mean to me at least. In fact, I don’t even know if he knows I exist. Good. He seems like we could be friends if we got to know each other. His name-“ Lotor fiddled with the book, trying to turn the page, when somebody knocked him to the ground. The book landed in Katie’s lap, and she quickly closed it and tucked it into her bag.

Lotor looked up at the boy who had tackled him. He had raven hair and dark eyes with a hint of purple. And fury. The boy was angry.

They only made eye contact briefly before Keith punched Lotor in the face. He gripped is now broken nose, yelling in pain.

Meanwhile, Katie had given up trying to get the mud off of her clothes. She gathered up her soaked papers, putting them back in her bag as neatly as possible, but she knew most of them were ruined. Lotor stood up. “I’ll get my dad to pay you back for this, Kogane!” He yelled, running off, trying to stop his bleeding nose with his sleeve.

Katie slipped and fell to her knees, and that’s when she began crying. She felt a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” She looked up, her honey eyes meeting is deep violet ones. She nodded, taking his hand and letting him help her up.

She groaned. “Mom’s gonna kill me for showing up looking like this, and with my homework all ruined…”

Keith smiled at her. “Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll be fine. I bet the teacher will understand, she’s nice and she knows you’re a good student.”

“You know who I am?” She asked, surprised.

“Of course. You’re Katie Holt, the smartest girl in class.”

She huffed. “I’m more than just smart, you know.”

Keith chuckled. “Hey, you can’t blame me, it’s not like we’ve ever hung out. I bet you don’t even know who I am.”

“You’re Keith Kogane. You’re quiet, but smart. You have a temper, and it reflects in your sense of justice. You build up walls around you, but once people get close to you, they can break them down and see who you really are.” Katie smiled at him. “And I’d like to get to know you, Keith.”

He held out his hand to her. “Friends?” He asked.

She took his hand and shook it firmly. “Friends.”

Keith walked Katie home, surprised when they got there. “Funny,” he said, “I just live a few houses further down. How have we never met before?”

Katie shrugged. “Probably because I’m an introvert, and I don’t like spending a lot of time outside.”

Katie’s mother opened the door, hearing the voices outside. “Katie!” She said in surprise, looking down at her daughter. “You’re a mess! What happened, and who is this!”

Katie looked down, not wanting to say anything. It was always hard to talk about bullying, because adult intervention always seemed to just make things worse. Keith spoke up.

“She fell in the mud, and her backpack fell open. I helped her get everything back together,” he said, hiding his hand behind his back, which had bits of Lotor’s blood on it. Katie looked up at him in gratitude, then nodded to her mother.

“I’m Keith,” he said.

Colleen looked at him, then realization struck. “Oh, you’re Shiro’s little brother!” she said. Katie looked at him in surprise.

“Seriously, how have we never met before? Our brothers are, like, best friends!”

“Wait, Matt’s your brother?”

They were quiet for a second, then they both started laughing.

Colleen gave them both a knowing look, then left to get them towels.

“Pidge? Is that you?” Matt called, coming down the stairs, Shiro behind him. The boys looked at the two kids, then at each other. Shiro then smiled.

“Looks like you two finally met,” he said simply.

Matt ran forward, looking at Katie. “Pidge, what happened to you? You’re covered in mud!”

“Have you looked outside? It’s raining cats and dogs out there. I just slipped on my way home and Keith helped me up.”

Shiro laughed. “My little brother, always a gentleman.”

Keith blushed, punching Shiro on the shoulder. “Shut up,” he said defensively.

Colleen returned, handing towels to both Keith and Katie. “You’re welcome to stay here for a while, Keith. Matt was already going to stay for dinner, I’m sure your mother wouldn’t mind. In fact, I’ll go call her now.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Keith said politely, nodding his head in gratitude.

Both kids dried off with the towels. Katie looked down at her clothes. “I should probably go change. Stay down here for a sec, I’ll be right back!” She ran upstairs, returning a few moments later in clean clothes, the towel wrapped around her head.

“Wow, that was fast…Pidge” Keith said.

Katie punched his arm. “It’s bad enough that Matt calls me that. Now you’re doing it too!”

Keith held up his hands defensively. “Hey, woah, I thought it was a cute nickname! Please don’t hurt me!”

As Keith rubbed his shoulder, Katie turned pink. “Yeah, well, I don’t like it.”

He smiled. “Then I’ll just keep using it until you do! Pidge Pidge Pidge Pidge Pidge!”

She couldn’t stay mad at him for that. She started laughing him, giving him a playful shove, accidentally knocking him onto the floor. He pulled her down with him, and they lied next to each other, laughing like they didn’t have any cares in the world.

And that was the start of a friendship that would last for years to come.


	2. Basketball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here you go. People seemed to like the first chapter, so I wrote a second one. This fic won't end up being very long. The basis of it is various events in which our two outcasts find themselves in the rain together as they grow up, their various adventures bringing them closer together. I feel like this is a way I can make the story my own, instead of feeling like I'm copying anybody else.

Eighth grade. The end of middle school. The last year of dealing with the institution that was most likely established by the devil himself.

“Hey Keith, I bet I can win a game of H.O.R.S.E. against you!” Lance stood in front of him, holding a basketball under his arm. The taller boy was a natural at basketball, but still somehow found it necessary to prove his prowess, even against kids who barely played. Such as Keith.

Keith rolled his eyes, setting his book down. “Whatever, Lance. You know you’ll win.”

“Exactly!” He yelled triumphantly, as though he had already won.

Meanwhile, Pidge put Keith’s book back in his bag. The park they were at was nice and well kept, but she didn’t want it to get lost regardless. She did all this without looking of from her laptop.

The two boys played and, as expected, Lance threw a tantrum when Keith ended up winning. “Aw, come on! You’re not even on the team and you can shoot like that? I’m the tall one here!”

Keith shrugged, sitting down next to Pidge again. “I wanted the game to be over faster, so I chose spots that worked better to my advantage than to yours. You’re the one who made the mistake of letting me go first.”

“Guys, guys, calm down, I brought sandwiches!” Hunk yelled, running up to the group, holding four sack lunches.

Pidge and Keith had met the two boys at the start of middle school. Pidge had met hunk in her honors math class, while Keith had met Lance in an elective art class, which they both sucked at. Even though the two of them were always butting heads, they were genuine friends.

Keith once suggested that Pidge cut her hair, because bullies often had a tendency to pull on her ponytail. To his surprise, she took his suggestion, and had kept it short ever since. When Pidge and Lance first met, he had initially thought she was a guy.

“Keith, what is this, felt like you needed another guy around to help you feel more macho next to me? Because this pipsqueak isn’t that intimidating.”

Pidge had grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down until their noses were touching, fury in her eyes. “First of all, I don’t appreciate being called pipsqueak. Second, you had better not do anything to hurt Keith. And third, I’m a girl.”

Lance’s eyes widened, but he nodded, and she let him go. In fact, it was this encounter that pushed Lance and Keith to be more friends than enemies. Hunk’s story was a lot less exciting. He and Pidge could nerd out about basically anything. And that was it.

Just like that, the foursome was formed. It was spring break, and they were all enjoying their time off at the park, despite Pidge’s annoyance at having to be outside. If you sat too close to her, you could smell the mixture of bug spray and sunscreen that she basically bathed in before coming outside.

It was a nice little park, close to Lance’s house. “You know, I’ve been playing basketball here since I was a kid, and you somehow still managed to beat me.”

Pidge smirked. “Maybe he’s just better than you, Lance.”

“That’s it,” he said, walking up to her, “you always defend him. When are you going to admit that you like him?”

“I don’t! I mean, not romantically. Keith’s my best friend. Stop misreading things, Lance. Besides, I think the one who needs romance help is you.”

“Hey, I’ve dated every girl in the eighth grade. Aside from you, that is.”

“Exactly. Why don’t you just pick somebody and have an actual girlfriend?”

“Okay, I think that’s enough trash talk!” Hunk pushed Lance back, putting a lunch bag in his hands. “Let’s all eat. Besides, it’s getting pretty cloudy. I think we should be careful, it might rain.”

Keith took his lunch and looked over at what Pidge was doing on her laptop, taking a bit of his sandwich. “What are you doing, anyway?” He asked, his full mouth spraying crumbs everywhere.

Pidge brushed the crumbs off her keyboard, somewhat annoyed. “Just taking an online programming class.”

“Online?” Hunk asked, “how do you have Wi-Fi out here?”

“I’m using Lance’s hotspot.”

“What? I never turned that on!”

“But I did. I’m telling you, this class is great.”

Keith laughed. “One of these days, you’re gonna get arrested for hacking Area 51 or something.”

“Please,” she said, “you and I both know that Area 51 was just a government ploy to get attention.”

“Which is why you would hack it, figure out if there’s something that they’re really hiding out there.”

The two of them laughed, Hunk and Lance smiling at them as they ate their own lunches.

“Twenty bucks says they start dating sophomore year,” Lance said.

“You’re on. I bet they won’t date until after we graduate,” Hunk responded, shaking Lance’s hand.

“And speaking of dating, rumor has it you have a crush on this girl Shay?”

Hunk blushed. “Well, I mean, not really, she’s just really nice to me, and she makes me feel warm inside, and…okay, maybe.”

Lance’s voice rose. “Hunk and Shay, sittin’ in a tree!”

“K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Keith and Pidge yelled in unison, overhearing Lance’s teasing.

“Guys!” Hunk turned away from them, but he was smiling. The four of them laughed together, before they heard a rumble in the distance.

“Uh oh, looks like you were right, Hunk,” Pidge said, tucking her laptop into her bag, hoping to keep it dry. She hastily ate her sandwich before standing up. “We should probably head home.”

“Do you guys need a ride?” Lance asked, “You live kinda far…”

“What do you think, Keith?”

“I personally don’t mind. I like walking.”

“Then we’re walking. If we go now, we’ll probably make it before the storm hits.”

“I, on the other hand,” Hunk interrupted, “would love a ride home.”

“Alright, so it’s settled. I’ll let my mom know. See you two at school on Monday!”

Pidge and Keith waved before taking off. Keith took a deep breath. “You know, I really like the smell of rain. It’s a shame it’s being blocked by the smell of deet and SPF 100.”

“Hey, at least I don’t have bug bites or sunburns,” Pidge said, slugging Keith’s arm.

“And neither do I.”

Pidge was about to say something when she felt a raindrop hit her nose. “Oh no.”

“So much for making it before the storm hit,” Keith muttered as the rain started steadily falling. Lightning flashed overhead, followed shortly by the rumbling of thunder.

“Run?”

“Run.”

Within moments, the two were running through the rain, Keith holding his jacket over the tops of both of their heads, since Pidge’s jacket was wrapped around her laptop to keep it dry. But of course, they slipped and fell. They looked at each other, lying on the ground, scraped up from the fall. Then they started laughing.

“You tripped first,” Keith said, looking at a scrape on his elbow.”

“You’re the one who was running so close to me,” Pidge teased as she examined a gash in her knee.

Keith stopped laughing. “Hey, are you okay? That looks pretty bad…”

“I’ll be fine,” Pidge said as she tried to stand, but dropped back down.

“Get on,” Keith said without hesitation, turning his back to her and crouching down.

“I’m not gonna make you carry me, Keith. I’ll limp, it’ll be fine.”

“You’re not making me do anything. I’m doing this because I want to help my best friend. And there’s no way you can get me to say no.”

Pidge sighed, knowing Keith was too stubborn. She climbed on his back, holding his jacket over both of their heads as they walked down the street.

“Besides, you’re so small, it’s not like this his hard.”

“I’m not sure whether that’s a compliment or an insult.”

“For all of the peanut butter cookies you eat? Probably an insult.”

“Okay, now I know that was an insult. What, you struggling already? I bet Lance would be able to carry me way farther than you.”

“Oh, please, you think taunting me like that will get me to go faster?”

“Just saying, he’s taller, and better looking, and stronger…”

Keith’s pace picked up, and Pidge laughed. “I knew it.”

“Shut up," he said, smiling as he carried her home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I feel like this chapter was really sweet. It expands on each character's growing interests in various areas, as is common among middle schoolers. And, of course, crushes. Can't have middle school without your silly crushes, right? Next chapter takes place in high school, so be prepared, because we all know how terrible high school is...


	3. Boyfriends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Senior year. Dating. Drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to make this 5 chapters. The first was elementary school, the second was middle school, this one is high school, the next will be college, and the last will be more of an epilogue/adult life thing.

Pidge looked longingly out the window, wanting to be out of school. It was the last day before winter break, and she was stuck inside after school, working on updating the school’s website so it’d be ready after the break. She sat in the middle of the computer lab, on the floor, typing away on her laptop. She leaned against Keith, their backs supporting each other. He faced the other way, once again wrapped up in a book.

“You two even act like a couple,” Lance said, barging in. Keith and Pidge jumped, Keith accidentally tossing his book in the air, where it closed and landed on Pidge’s head as she tried not to drop her laptop. She tensed up, and turned slowly around.

“I-I’m sorry! It was Lance’s fault!” Keith held his hands up defensively, the fury evident in her eyes as she rubbed her head.

“Oh, I know,” she said, closing her laptop and setting it down, getting ready to stand up.

“You even take his side! I swear, you two should just kiss already!” Lance met a face full of book, as the same book that Keith had been reading was thrown at him.

“Hey, I need that…” Keith said, sighing sadly.

“Oh, whatever. You already submitted your college applications, it’s not like you need to put much work into studying anymore.”

“That book’s for AP Literature, a college class. I need to pass it to get credit, genius.”

“Didn’t Pidge take this class like two years ago? Just ask your girlfriend for help.”

“She’s not my-“

“I’m not his-“

“Okay, okay, calm down,” Hunk said as he walked in. He laughed at seeing Lance’s swollen nose, noting the book he held in his hand. “I swear, you guys are always fighting two on one. I’m gonna have to agree with Lance, you two should really go out!”

“Hunk,” Pidge said, taking a deep breath and turning towards him, “did you forget that I’m already dating somebody?”

“You mean Lotor? I don’t know that I’d call your relationship…well, a relationship,” Lance said, looking at Pidge sadly.

“And besides, he’s not here, is he? Keith’s the one who stayed late for you,” Hunk pointed out, gesturing to Keith, who looked like he didn’t want anything to do with the conversation.

“Lotor’s family left early for the vacation,” Pidge said, shrugging.

Keith sighed. “You know he doesn’t make you happy. He’s been a negative influence on you since grade school. I’m not trying to tell you how to live, I just…I want you to smile again, Pidge. I don’t know that I’ve seen it since the two of you started dating.”

“I smile plenty!”

“I mean genuinely, Pidge. You’re always faking it. And don’t try to deny it, I’m your best friend. I know when you’re faking it, and I know when you’re hurting.”

“Do you really know that much about me? Ever since sophomore year, you’ve been distancing yourself more and more, edgelord.”

“Okay, I think that’s our cue to leave!” Hunk grabbed Lance’s arm and pulled him out of the room.

“Edgy? You think I’m edgy?”

“You hide in your room all the time, playing with knives and listening to musicals!”

“How is Hamilton edgy?”

“Hamilton isn’t, but Dear Evan Hansen is, and when you listen to it, especially when you get to ‘Words Fail,’ I start to wonder what’s really going through your head.”

“You know that I’ve been dealing with depression, Pidge.”

“If you stopped pushing me away, I’d help you through it!”

“If you showed me you cared, I might stop pushing you away!”

She stepped back, shocked at his comment. “You think I don’t care?”

“You’re always running off with Lotor! You’re not around when I need you!”

“And what about when I needed you, huh? My dad’s still missing, but no, you hid in your room. At least Lotor cares about my well being whenever he comes up in conversation!”

“Is that all he cares about? Is he actually genuine in his concern? Because whenever I see you two together, he seems a lot less interested in what you’re saying, and more interested in your body!”

“Oh, so now you follow me around?”

“No, I just check up on you! I don’t want you to get hurt, Pidge, and I’m scared that he’ll hurt you! I care about you too much to let him do anything to you! Why do you think I’m always carrying knives around, huh? It’s not for myself, it’s for you. I do it to make sure you’re safe if he ever makes a wrong move.”

“I can take care of myself just fine!”

“So you admit he’s only dating you for your body?”

“I didn’t say that! We haven’t even kissed, why would he?”

“Because he’s done it before!” Keith’s yelling made Pidge take a step back.

“What do you mean, he’s done it before?” She asked, an eyebrow raised.

“I…I can’t say, I said I wouldn’t tell…”

“Tell me what you meant!”

“Okay, fine! Remember his ex, Narti?”

“Yeah, she’s a really sweet girl. What about her?”

“When was the last time you remember her being sweet and nice?”

“Back…before she dated Lotor…” Pidge’s eyes widened.

“She talked to me, Pidge. Told me the things he did to her. But she made me swear not to tell you, because she didn’t want word getting around, and I can get why. That’s why I’ve been wanting to protect you. Narti knew that if you suddenly dumped him, he might blame her. So she wanted me to keep you safe. And that’s what I’ve been doing.”

Pidge looked down at the ground, tears welling up in her eyes. Then she pulled out her cell phone. “Lotor? Hey, it’s me. Listen, I…yeah, I know it’s late over there…hey, wait a second, why would you say that?...Why don’t you listen to-…this is exactly what I was talking about! Before you left! You never listen to me!...No, nobody talked to me. I did some thinking on my own…yeah, that’s the full story. I’m sorry, Lotor, but you don’t respect me the way I respect you. We’re done.” And with that she hung up.

Keith looked at her, surprised. “Wow, I did not expect that.”

“To be honest, neither did I. It was like there was some voice inside me, a voice of doubt, that your words confirmed. That same voice told me to end it now before it was too late. So, it’s over.”

“Oh, good, because that guy was super toxic,” Lance said walking back in.

Pidge turned to him angrily. “You were eavesdropping?”

Lance smiled, then turned and ran. Pidge was going to go after him, but stopped, not wanting to end up locked out of the building with her stuff left in the computer room. “I can finish working on the website from home.”

Keith raised his eyebrow. “If you could do it from home, why do it here?”

Pidge smiled. “Because this way you were here with me. At home, I’d be by myself.”

“You don’t have to be. I can come over today. We have a whole break to study, I think I can take an afternoon off.”

The two walked out of the school, backpacks in tow, just as snow began falling. “Well, would you look at that,” Keith said, looking up at the sky.

Pidge looked up and smiled. Genuinely smiled.

“There’s that smile. I was scared that it was gone for good.”

“You know, I’m not the only one who’s needed to smile a bit more.”

Keith sighed. “I know. But hey, you breaking up with Lotor has made me pretty happy.”

They laughed together, their laughter carrying across the courtyard and being muffled by the falling snow.

“Oh gosh, why did you even date that creep in the first place?”

“You know, I’ve come up with a million excuses as to why. Ultimately, I think it was because he showed some sort of affection towards me, and with dad’s disappearance, I felt that he could fill a void left behind. I wanted the attention.”

Keith wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Sorry for shutting you out and not being there to give you the attention you needed.”

Pidge shifted closer to him. “And I’m sorry for not trying harder to get through to you so we could be there for each other.”

Keith laughed. “I don’t know what Lance was thinking, we’d make lousy lovers.”

“But we do make pretty great best friends.”

“So, what do you think Lotor will do now?”

“In all honesty, I’m not sure. My hope is that he’ll realize that we were fighting before and that I made the decision to break up with him on my own. But, to be sure, make sure you keep an eye on Narti.”

“Great, now I have to look out for two helpless girls?”

Pidge grabbed his arm and flipped him over her head into the grass, where the snow was starting to accumulate. “What do you mean two?”

“I stand corrected,” Keith said, brushing the snow off as he stood up.

“Besides, you can just lend me one of your knives if you’re so worried.”

“After that little display, I’m scared for my own life if I let you near anything sharp.”

She shrugged. “I suppose that’s fair.”

The two walked home through the gently falling snow, laughing and joking along the way. The hurting had been mended, and the best friends were together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so snow isn't the same thing as rain. But it was snowing yesterday, so I felt like it should still work. As always, let me know if you like the fic, and I'll see you soon for the next chapter!


	4. Finals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody has bad days. They come and go. For Pidge, this day goes from bad to worse to deadly in a few short hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me

Pidge looked up at the sky with worry. “I knew that weather app was sketchy. Clear all day my butt.” She got in her car, tossing her bag into the passenger seat. Hopefully the bad weather wasn’t an omen for how her test was going to go.

By the time she reached campus and got out of her car, scattered rain drops were hitting the ground. Umbrella in hand, she hiked up the hill to the testing center. “Why did they build it on a hill? It’s like a symbol of our looming demise…”

Despite having been a university student for a few years already, she still got nervous when it came to finals, regardless of how well she studied or how well she was doing in her classes. And this weather certainly wasn’t helping.

It was already turning out to be a pretty bad day. She’d overslept that morning, and she had no idea where her phone was. Even as she hiked up the hill, she could feel its absence from its normal place in her back right pocket. She’d had a headache for most of the morning, and it was a struggle to look for it.

Now she had to take a final, and something always went wrong while taking tests. She walked into the testing center and gave them her I.D. card, picked up her test, and found a desk to sit down at. All things considered, it wasn’t a particularly difficult final. Statistics had never been very challenging to her, though she always preferred her programming classes.

But of course, no test is perfect. About halfway through, somebody passed out, and EMTs came running in. Pretty soon, there’s was a lot of commotion, and Pidge was finding it difficult to concentrate on what she was doing.

_Come on, this is the last final for this semester. The whole thing is multiple choice. Just shut everything out and keep working._

And of course, when she finally got back into a focused mode and had answered a few more questions, some girl puked a few rows down from her. She rushed out of the room and the janitors rushed in, and all the students who sat closest to her had moved to different desks. Now the room smelled terrible, with a mix of vomit and the chemicals the janitors used in an attempt to clean the mess.

Finally, Pidge managed to finish her test, though she wasn’t satisfied with her performance. It had taken over two hours to take the stupid test, and for the last part she couldn’t think straight. She figured she’d at least get a decent grade for doing well on the first part, but she knew she wouldn’t be happy with the final score.

She stepped outside into pouring rain and thick fog. She groaned, pulling out her umbrella and making her way through. On top of it all, it was starting to get dark. But the only way she could get home was to drive, despite the terrible conditions.

Halfway to the parking lot, the wind picked up, and her umbrella was carried away into the fog. She ran the rest of the way, slipping more than once, before running into her car, soaking wet. _Could this day get any worse?_

She wished she hadn’t asked that.

Fog lights on, she started driving home, going slower than usual. Her windshield wipers were going crazy, and it almost felt like they were making it harder for her to focus on driving.

Maybe that’s why she hit that tree.

Despite her slow speed, she hit the tree with enough force to shatter her windshield and do some serious damage to the front of her car. The airbag went off as she lurched forward, and she was thankful that she had been wearing her seatbelt.

Cold rain began pouring into the car. Pidge tried to move, but realized her legs were stuck. She bit her lip to avoid yelling out in pain, realizing that at least one of them was broken. And she still had no phone.

Darkness settled over the area, and pretty soon Pidge was shivering, her teeth chattering. The only warmth came from the tears that rolled down her face. She prayed that somebody could see her and that help was on the way.

“Help!” she yelled, hoping that somebody was within earshot. “Somebody, please help me!” She continued yelling until she couldn’t anymore.

With nothing better to do, she thought about her position. It was early spring. Nights were still incredibly cold, and rainy nights were colder. It was windy, too. She had no way of knowing if she had open wounds in her legs, but there was a ton of pain down there. If she didn’t freeze to death, there was a chance she could bleed out. Overall, she’d definitely been in better situations.

She watched as a few cars drove past her, paying her no mind. She didn’t know if it was because they couldn’t see her or they just didn’t care.

She rested her head back, then shook it. _You can’t fall asleep. You have to stay awake._ But she was exhausted. It had been a terrible day, and she had nowhere to go. She hurt and she knew she was in a terrible situation.

“Stay awake,” she began saying out loud. “Stay awake, Pidge. Stay awake.”

Fatigue fell over her like a blanket. “No!” She yelled. “Stay awake!” Her voice was escalating. Her throat was raw from her earlier screaming. “Stay awake!”

Her shattered mirror showed her something she was afraid she’d never see: the headlights of a car pulling over behind her. She was saved.

A flashlight shone through the passenger window. Pidge reached over, biting her lip to not yell in pain, and unlocked the door. With a bit of force, the stranger yanked the door open.

“Please tell me you’re alive,” a familiar voice said. The stranger shone the flashlight in her eyes, and she winced. But it was only there for a moment, because the owner dropped his phone upon recognizing who it was. “Pidge??”

The fallen phone landed face down, and the light illuminated the face of Pidge’s savior. “Keith?” she said weakly.

Keith picked up is phone and shone the flashlight on Pidge again, assessing the situation. “Are your legs stuck?”

She nodded weakly. “Hey, stay with me, Pidge, I need you to stay conscious.”

Keith slid into the passenger seat and began kicking at the crushed dashboard, trying to move it off. Pidge joined him, pushing feebly with her arms. Finally, it shifted, just enough for Pidge to exclaim “I think I can get out now, but I need help.”

Keith wrapped his arms around her chest and pulled, surprised at how easily she slid out of the car. They both fell out the open door, Pidge yelling in pain as her legs moved. She landed on Keith’s lap in the grass as he held onto her tightly.

“Come on, let me get you to a hospital. Those legs look pretty bad…” Keith stood up, holding Pidge in his arms bridal style. “Geeze, you’re so light. They say that college makes you gain weight, but you’re still so tiny.”

Pidge punched his chest. “Shut up.”

The two laughed a little as Keith carried Pidge to his car. “You know,” he said, “this reminds me of the day we first met.”

“Out in the rain, on the way home from school, when you almost killed Lotor?”

“I swear I made him pee his pants that day. Did you see how scared he was?”

“I was pretty scared, too. Not of you, but of him. Then again, most kids bigger than me scared me back then.”

Keith opened the passenger door and carefully placed Pidge inside, helping her get her seatbelt on before walking around to his door.

“You know, I feel like the rain does something weird. It always seems to bring us closer together.”

“What do you mean?”

“How about after we get this whole mess sorted out, we go get some ice cream sometime?”

“Keith Kogane, are you asking me out on a date?”

“I meant to ask you last night, but you left pretty early. Oh, speaking of which.” Keith reached into his pocked and pulled out Pidge’s phone, handing it to her. “You left this at my place after we finished studying last night. The battery’s dead, but I think I have a charger for it in the glove box.”

Pidge found the charger and plugged in her phone as Keith began driving to the hospital. “I better call a tow truck to get my car…dad’s gonna kill me for this.”

“You know, he might, but at least it’s him that’ll kill you and not the cold.”

They laughed as Pidge turned her phone on. A couple of emails and a text from Matt asking if she needed milk since he bought too much were all that she’d missed. She looked up the number for the tow truck and called, telling them where her crashed car was and that she was being taken to the hospital.

Soon enough, Keith was alone in the hospital lobby while Pidge was being taken care of. He pulled out his phone and texted Shiro.

Keith: 7:21 I asked her. You happy now?

Shiro: 7:23 Very. ‘bout time you two went out. You’re not back yet, are you with her right now?

Keith: 7:24 Sort of? I mean, we’re in the same building…

Shiro: 7:25 Keith.

Keith: 7:26 OKAY SO WE’RE IN A HOSPITAL

Shiro: 7:26 KEITH.

Keith: 7:27 Have you seen the weather? She was driving home and crashed into a tree. I found her and helped her, but her legs are pretty beat up. None of this is my fault!

Shiro: 7:28 So you mean to tell me you asked her out while she was dealing with a crash and suffering from injuries?

Keith: 7:28 …yes?

Shiro: 7:29 Did she respond?

Keith: 7:30 Sort of? Actually it was kinda vague…

Shiro: 7:30 Vague is good, especially for Kidge

Shiro: 7:31 Sorry, PIDGE. Stupid auto-correct.

Keith: 7:32 Wait wait wait, in order for that to work, you would have had to have been using the phrase “kidge” more than the name “Pidge”

Shiro: 7:33 And?

Keith: 7:33 I don’t believe this. That’s it, I’m ignoring you for the rest of the night.

Shiro: 7:34 Ignore me or not, you should probably come home. She could be in that hospital for a long time.

Pidge: 7:35 Yeah, I could be in that hospital for the next few hours.

Keith: 7:36 Should I even ask how you have access to these messages?

Pidge: 7:37 A magician never reveals her secrets. But I will say that I’m glad my laptop wasn’t damaged in the crash. Oh, and Keith?

Keith: 7:37 Yeah?

Pidge: The answer’s yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the texting thing. I'm not really sure if that was the best way to wrap up the chapter. At this point, I just wanted to get it done. Let me know if the texting thing worked out okay, or if it could have been done better.
> 
> One chapter to go! See ya next time!
> 
> Also, I just realized that when I italicize anything in Word, it doesn't actually keep the italics over here. Sorry if that's made anything confusing in the previous chapters!


	5. Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years go by, but love doesn't. Love can be felt across infinity. If it's true love, no matter the distance, you'll love each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm...sorry.

“Mommy?”

Pidge turned around to see her daughter, Elizabeth (Lizzy for short), looking through a photo reel on Pidge’s laptop.

“What’s up, Lizzy?”

“Why did you cut your hair? It was so long and pretty when you were little!”

Pidge looked at the screen to see a picture of herself around third or fourth grade. “You know how your older brother is sometimes teased by kids in school?”

“Yeah…” the little girl asked, brushing a bit of honey brown hair out of her face.

“Well, I was teased a lot too. Kids liked to pull my hair. My best friend told me to cut it, and I did. I’ve kept it short ever since. I kind of like it better this way.”

Pidge looked at the picture closely. She looked…sad. The little girl in the picture looked nothing like Pidge would have imagined. Then she realized that something was missing.

“This picture was taken before I met him…”

“Met who?”

Pidge grinned. “Why, your dad, of course.”

“Gross, mom, that’s so cheesy,” said a young man of about twelve as he walked into the room. His dark bangs fell in front of his eyes, and he brushed them away, only for them to fall back.

“You know, Parker, you seem to be a little old to still think girls are gross. And come here, let me trim your bangs.” Pidge pulled a pair of scissors out of a nearby drawer.

“But I like them long. They make me look more like dad!”

“Come now, do you really think a pilot can see with his bangs falling in front of his eyes all the time? Even your dad kept his hair short enough to be convenient, especially after I convinced him to cut off that mullet.”

Lizzy pulled up another picture, this time showing Pidge and Keith standing together, likely from when they were in middle school. Pidge noted that her eyes looked much brighter, and her smile seemed more genuine.

Parker looked at the picture, then up at his bangs. “Huh. I guess you’re right, they weren’t this long. But geeze, that mullet is weird.”

Pidge sat Parker down on a stool facing her while she began cutting away at his bangs. “Not too short!” he yelled, and Pidge laughed.

“Don’t worry, they’ll look just like your dad’s in that picture when I’m done.”

Sure enough, when Pidge finished, Parker looked like the spitting image of his father. Her smile faded, and tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.

“Mommy?” Lizzy grabbed Pidge’s hand. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, sweetheart, I was just-“

“Thinking about dad?” Parker looked sad, his own eyes showing signs of tears.

“I’m sorry, Parker. But, if your goal is to look like him, you’ve definitely achieved it, minus the mullet.”

Both kids sat on either side of Pidge on the couch, Lizzy handing the laptop over to her mother. Pidge pulled up another photo, this one from high school.

“Who’s that guy with the gross long white hair?”

“A mistake, I can tell you that,” Pidge mumbled. “His name’s Lotor. Word is, he’s turned over a new leaf now, but back when I dated him in high school, he was-“

“You dated somebody else before daddy?” Lizzy wore a look of shock on her face.

“It was…a phase. I’m sure you two will both have relationships one day you’d rather not talk about.”

Parker shifted uncomfortably. Pidge looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “Young man, is there something you want to talk about? Might it have something to do with…a girl?”

The boy blushed, standing up. “No way! I’m too tough for that!”

“You’re dad wasn’t too tough.”

Parker stiffened, and Pidge and Lizzy both laughed. “So, what’s her name?”

“Can we not talk about this when Lizzy is around?”

“Fine, time for some mother-son time. Lizzy, go get in your PJs, it’s almost time for bed.”

“’Kay!” The little girl ran up the stairs.

“So?” Pidge said, wrapping an arm around her son.

“…Abigail. Her name’s Abigail.”

“Isn’t that the same girl who beat you at the spelling bee every year since first grade?”

Parker nodded.

“Good choice. I hear smart girls are better than pretty girls, and I’m not just saying that because I’m describing myself.”

“But you are pretty, mom! Dad always used to say that you were so beautiful! That’s why I like this girl, because…because she’s a lot like you.”

Pidge hugged her son. “You really idolize your dad, don’t you, Parker?”

He nodded. “He’s a hero, and he’ll always be my hero.” After a moment of silence, he pushed out of her grasp. “Anyway, I have homework to do.” He stood up and walked away, leaving Pidge in the living room alone.

Over the years, she’d taken to collecting newspapers about her exploits. She pulled out the stack that she’d rubber-banded together. ‘Katherine Holt invents new data storage system’ ‘Holt team returns from Kerberos expedition’ ‘Katherine Kogane leads research in exploration beyond our solar system.’ The last one made her smile, reading her changed name.

Finally, she reached the last page. ‘Pilot Keith Kogane missing on mission to find life, presumed dead.’

She had wanted to go with him on that trip, but he had insisted she stay behind. She had a son to take care of, and with a little girl on the way, she was in no condition to be in space. Instead, she’d sent Matt with him, and an engineer that Hunk had recommended.

Tear stains scattered across the page, leaving the ink smudged in some places. Both her husband and her brother, gone forever. Because of a mission she was sure would be safe. Because of a dream she wanted to fulfill.

She and Matt had been sending messages back and forth throughout the entire mission. Then suddenly all communication stopped. After hearing nothing from the crew for a month, the Galaxy Garrison had declared the missing members dead. Pidge received the news while she was in the hospital, a newborn baby in her arms and rain pouring outside.

She took a deep breath and placed the clipping back in the stack. She walked out the back door to her large backyard, gazing up at the sky. Surprisingly, it was a crystal clear night. She looked up at the stars, which had once seemed so far away. _Though they say you’re dead…maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance…_

She walked into her large shed and turned on the lights, revealing an unusual looking space craft. “My best work yet,” she said aloud, her hands on her hips. There were three seats, one for the pilot, and two passenger seats. She’d designed the ship so the work of three people could be done by one person. After all, if she was taking her family into space, she would be the only person that would know what to do if there were any problems.

She designed the ship for herself and her kids. They had family to find.

Because somewhere, deep in her heart, she knew that the man she’d fallen in love with one rainy day in fifth grade was still out there somewhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, if you didn't cry, you're doing it wrong. Second, I'M SORRY. Third, yes, this is the end of this fic. You can use your imagination for the rest of the story, but I'm not likely to write anything about Pidge saving Keith and Matt from the Galra, while taking care of two kids, because this story would go off the rails so fast you'd think Lance was driving.
> 
> Initially, I was just going to have Keith be dead. But I changed my mind, and decided that he was lost in space. BECAUSE DRAMA.
> 
> So, that's it! This fic is done! Hope y'all liked it, I'm currently trying to think of something to do for my next fic. Yes, there will be more to come, so look for the name MelodicAscent!

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I'm Melodic Ascent, and I look forward to bringing you more fun readings!
> 
> Happy reading!


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